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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

So I've just bought a new Essex EUP-123S - and because its the institutional model the middle pedal sustains the bass notes and hasn't got a practice pedal. I live in an apartment and would benefit from using the practice pedal I have on my Yamaha upright.

I heard that you can glue a piece of felt to a piece of wood measured to length and put it inside the piano when you want to practice, however I was wondering if there are any better ideas of attachments available on the market?

Check with your dealer, or piano technician. There are mute rails that can be installed. They are operated by pulling a lever, which is attached underneath the key bed.

That's exactly what I thought they were! Well my dealer is Tom Lee- so not much help there, and I won't have a technician come over for about 6 weeks after it's delivered Friday to have it tuned for the first time. If anyone has a link to a website so that I could purchase one? I know I've seen it on here before but after numerous hours of searching I cannot find the thread again!

One such device is the Quiet Keys Universal Mute. I've never installed one, but this one claims to be for the "do-it-yourselfer". If you do a search for that, you should be able to find a place from which to purchase it online.

I would second the 'QuietKeys' suggestion. The system is fairly easy to install...but I'd suggest that a technician do the job. It actually mounts on the tuning pins, on two tube-like clamps, and the cable controller must be routed through the piano to the keybed with a couple guide-thingies and screws. Not everyone can figure the best way to get past the action, or keep it from unwanted contact with the pedal trapwork, and get it safely to the keybed.

It might be possible for a good DYI, but while easy for someone who does it occasionally, it might prove a head-scratcher for someone who has never done it. And..if you mis-cut the felt on the rail, it is a pain to replace it!

They do pull right out of the way, when the technician comes to tune the piano...but the careful technician will mark the tuning pins it fits onto, or putting it back can be un-fun.

Most technicians have had occasion to install one, somewhere along the way, and it does only take a short time to put one in. Have done 3 or 4 in the last 5 years; church for mediation-music, students for quiet practicing at night, one for an apartment piano to keep the neighbors happy!

Hi. I also had this problem with my Yamaha U1, which only has 2 pedals.

This is a really low-tech solution, but I've been using it for a few months, and it works really well.

Go to Dollarama and buy 4 sheets of felt for about a dollar or two.

Open up your piano, and hang these four sheets between the strings and the hammers. I use scotch tape. As I said, very low tech. It takes me only minute or less to do it. You can re-use the scotch tape a few times.

I found one refinement. So that the scotch tape doesn't shred your felt, you can stick a bigger piece of tape (like duck tape) on the corners. Then stick your little pieces of scotch tape on this.